tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28102666.post4073784496332060260..comments2024-03-28T04:26:30.557-05:00Comments on Boston 1775: One Last Look at Lexington and Concord for the MonthUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28102666.post-53757717060100822632009-04-26T19:47:00.000-05:002009-04-26T19:47:00.000-05:00We’ve learned that “water-boarding” and other tort...We’ve learned that “water-boarding” and other torture doesn’t cough up reliable information, so that wouldn’t have worked.<br /><br />Gage actually had a very good idea of what the Patriots were up to. Dr. Benjamin Church and other spies were providing him with information. And many of the Massachusetts Provincial Congress’s activities and policies were public. <br /><br />Gage’s main challenges were convincing his superiors in London of how dire the situation was, and figuring out how he could do anything about it with the limited resources he had in Boston.J. L. Bellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15405157000473731801noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28102666.post-83555863801544456562009-04-25T08:46:00.000-05:002009-04-25T08:46:00.000-05:00I wonder if Gage would have water-boarded Dr.Warre...I wonder if Gage would have water-boarded Dr.Warren and discovered the whole nefarious plot of the "Rebels"?Mr. Billnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28102666.post-24203480540396776692009-04-23T17:31:00.000-05:002009-04-23T17:31:00.000-05:00The immediate cause of the first shooting in Conco...The immediate cause of the first shooting in Concord was the militia massed above the North Bridge seeing smoke rising from the town, and marching down toward the three companies at that bridge. But the locals’ response to that smoke might have been exacerbated by what they had heard about Lexington hours before. <br /><br />It’s also possible that the sudden, unexpected appearance of the troops might have made some militiamen more antsy than they were. At both Lexington and Concord, the companies had hours to stand around and talk about what to do if and when British troops arrived, and at Concord more hours to talk about what to do now that they had. Attacking wasn’t a hasty, unconsidered decision, at least for most men.J. L. Bellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15405157000473731801noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28102666.post-87906534614789544812009-04-23T13:50:00.000-05:002009-04-23T13:50:00.000-05:00All of your points are well-taken. I have always t...All of your points are well-taken. I have always thought that the point of no return was about 4:30 AM somewhere in the Arlington/Menotomy area. When one of the Lexington riders approached the troops and warned of a massing of militia in Lexington. At that point, the information essentially confirmed what Revere had said a few hours earlier when captured. The troops were ordered to load their muskets and, in my opinion, a violent confrontation was destined.<br /><br />Of course, the other side of this "what if" discussion is what might have happened if there were enough boats for the troops crossing the Charles. If they had left on time, with enough boats, they would have been in Lexington at perhaps 3 AM in the morning. Would there have been a confrontation? Would there have been fighting in Concord without the massacre in Lexington?Peregrine Whitehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02164663724328368748noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28102666.post-82410695860052841532009-04-23T11:43:00.000-05:002009-04-23T11:43:00.000-05:00If Gage had halted the mission before any troops r...If Gage had halted the mission before any troops reached Lexington, then that day would probably be no more remembered than the confrontations at Portsmouth in Dec 1774 and Salem in Feb 1775. <br /><br />But Gage surely would have felt pressure to do something else, and perhaps that action would have set off the war.<br /><br />Perhaps the most effective thing Gage could have done would have been to arrest Dr. Joseph Warren before the march. Would the Patriot intelligence and alarm system have been able to function without him? Not at first, at least, judging by how Revere deferred to him on 18 April.<br /><br />Quite possibly craftsmen like Revere would then have deferred to the next highest-ranking genteel activist, who seems to have been Dr. Benjamin Church—already secretly working for Gage.J. L. Bellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15405157000473731801noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28102666.post-65247692163327134892009-04-23T11:27:00.000-05:002009-04-23T11:27:00.000-05:00As a fan of alternate history, this makes me wonde...As a fan of alternate history, this makes me wonder what may have happened had Gage recalled the troops.<br /><br />Of course, it's likely the war would have started anyway, since it was a powderkeg just waiting for that spark.<br /><br />Still, fun to ponder.Robert S. Paulhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06208771657848284055noreply@blogger.com